Conflict in the Former USSR

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, conflict in the former USSR has been a key concern in international security. This book fills a gap in the literature on violent conflict, evaluating a region that contains all the modern ingredients for instability and aggression. Bringing together leading experts on war and security, the book addresses current debates in international relations about power, interests, globalisation and the politics of identity as major drivers of contemporary war. Incidents such as the 2008 Russo-Georgian conflict, the wars in Chechnya, and Russia's struggles over national identity and resources with former communist states are all thoroughly examined. With new issues like energy security, terrorism and transnational crime, and older tensions between East and West threatening to deepen once more, this is an important contribution to the international security literature.

1. Introduction: understanding conflict in the former USSR Matthew Sussex; 2. The return of imperial Russia Roger E. Kanet; 3. The shape of the security order in the former USSR Matthew Sussex; 4. Great powers and small wars in the Caucasus Richard Sakwa; 5. The Russo-Georgian war: identity, intervention and norm adaptation Beat Kernen and Matthew Sussex; 6. Why not more conflict in the former USSR? Russia and Central Asia as a zone of relative peace Neil Robinson; 7. Transnational crime, corruption and conflict in Russia and the former USSR Leslie Holmes; 8. The transformation of war? New and old conflicts in the former USSR Matt Killingsworth; 9. Conclusions: the future of conflict in the former USSR Matthew Sussex.

Dr Matthew Sussex holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne (2001) and completed his undergraduate and Honours qualifications at the University of Queensland. He is currently Senior Lecturer in the School of Government, University of Tasmania, where he coordinates that institution's International Relations programme. His research interests include international security, Russian politics and foreign policy, strategic studies, European politics and international relations theory.